Benfica Targets Marco Silva as Mourinho Successor Amid Madrid Interest

Benfica are bracing themselves for the possibility that José Mourinho will walk back through the doors of the Bernabéu – and out of Lisbon. If that happens, their first move is already mapped out: go hard for Fulham’s Marco Silva.

Real Madrid have made Mourinho their preferred option and talks have already taken place over a reunion with the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager. At 63, and more than a decade after his first spell in Madrid ended, he is on the brink of a second act in the Spanish capital.

Benfica, who only brought him in last September, have no desire to rip up a project less than a year old. But they know the pull of Madrid. They know what the Bernabéu badge does to even the most carefully drawn plans. So they are working on a contingency, and Silva sits at the top of it.

Silva’s stock has risen steadily at Fulham. He dragged the club out of the Championship in 2022, then did what so many of his predecessors failed to do: keep them there and make them competitive. Craven Cottage is no longer a yo-yo stop; it is a stable Premier League base, even if sustained pushes for Europe have slipped out of reach.

Fulham want to protect that progress. A new contract is on the table, the message from the boardroom clear: stay, build, push again. But at 48, Silva is weighing his options and the timing. Is this the moment to chase a different stage?

Benfica can offer something Fulham, for now, cannot: the Champions League. They sit second to Porto in Portugal, locked in a domestic arms race that almost guarantees nights under the European lights. For a Portuguese coach, leading Benfica in that arena carries its own emotional and professional weight.

The plot thickens in England as well. Chelsea have Silva on their shortlist as they search for a successor to Liam Rosenior, dismissed last month. The London club are prepared to wait until the season closes before making their move, confident enough in their process to let the managerial carousel spin a little longer.

At Stamford Bridge, though, one name glows brighter than the rest: Xabi Alonso. Chelsea are understood to see the Spaniard as their ideal candidate. Alonso, who guided Bayer Leverkusen to the 2024 Bundesliga title, is between jobs after his dismissal by Madrid this season, and his next step carries intrigue across Europe.

He is thought to want his next challenge in England. Chelsea have tracked him for at least three years, viewing him as a long-term tactical architect rather than a short-term fireman. Liverpool, too, hover in the background, mentioned as a possible landing spot if they eventually part ways with Arne Slot.

So the chain reaction is clear. If Madrid prise Mourinho away from Benfica, the Portuguese giants will turn to Marco Silva. If Silva chooses Lisbon over London, Chelsea’s gaze hardens on Alonso. And if Alonso is serious about the Premier League, someone, somewhere, is going to tear up their plans to make room for him.